By Staff WESTLAKE, La. (LBM) – Bruce Baker, director of missions for the Carey Baptist Association, said the Bellview Baptist Church in Westlake is asking for prayers of healing for a young girl who was raped by the now former pastor of the congregation. John Ward, 45, who had served at the church since 2012, was arrested June 17 on 10 counts of first degree rape, 40 counts of indecent behavior and two counts of pornography involving a juvenile, according to a news release from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Department. An anonymous call to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services’ tip line led to an investigation during which Ward confirmed to detectives that he had been molesting a girl, now 11 years old, for two years. He also told investigators he videoed the girl while she was nude on two separate occasions. Judge Sharon Wilson set his bond at $640,000. “Bellview Baptist Church leaders are cooperating fully with the sheriff’s office in the investigation,” Baker shared with the Baptist Message. “The deacons, in consultation with Carey Baptist Association, unanimously voted to immediately terminate Ward’s employment with the congregation because of his sexual immorality and failure to maintain the … [Read more...]

Details for the memorial service have been announced for Claude Williams, pastor of Celebration Church’s Westbank campus who was killed Sunday, June 16. According to Celebration Church’s website, the first service will take place Friday, June 21, 11 am at Celebration Church, 2001 Airline Dr. in Metairie. Visitation begins at 9 a.m. A second service is scheduled for Saturday, June 22, 11 am at the First Baptist Church, 508 Second St. in  Nachitoches. Visitation begins at 9 a.m. Williams was one of three people who died Sunday evening while trying to help a motorist change a flat tire on the upper level of the Westbank Expressway in Marrero. According to WDSU-TV in New Orleans, an Impala struck the disabled Yukon driven by Williams and the two other pedestrians, pushing them over the side of the elevated expressway. The driver of the Impala, Todd Williams, 40, of New Orleans, was arrested. An account on the Celebration Church website has been established to help defray funeral costs. Donations can be given at https://celebrationmla.infellowship.com/OnlineGiving/GiveNow/NoAccount. … [Read more...]

Reverend Charles Richard Edwards entered heaven on Monday, May 6, 2019 at the age of 91 with his family by his side. Born on February 7, 1928 in Bentonville, Arkansas to Dixon and Essie Young Edwards, he served in the Navy during World War II. Upon returning home he accepted Christ as his Savior and was ordained into the ministry on September 27, 1950 at First Baptist Church in Bentonville. He attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas where he met his future wife, Christine Campbell. They married on January 30, 1953. To This union four children were born including three daughters; Charlotte Thibodeaux of Perchville, Cheryl Turner (Timmy) of Richard, Connie Bertrand (Preston) of Eunice and a son, Danny Edwards (Bernadine) of Eunice. He is also survived by ten grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews. Edwards was preceded in death by his parents; Dixon and Essie Young Edwards of Bentonville, Arkansas, his wife of 64 years; Christine Campbell Edwards of Perchville, two brothers; Benny Edwards and Earl “Jack” Edwards of Bentonville, Arkansas, three sisters; Jewell Spurlock of Bentonville, Arkansas, Merle “Tookie” Page of Paragould, Arkansas, Thelma “Happy” Reich of … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer CENTRAL – Hadley James had served as a bodyguard for high-profile celebrities around the U.S., and was awash with all the perks that came with the job; but, he found true satisfaction and returned to his walk with Christ after watching live worship services broadcast by Greenwell Springs Baptist Church. A few months later James experienced another spiritual watershed moment when he was baptized alongside his daughter, Nicole, in front of the Greenwell Springs congregation. “It was one of the most exciting experiences in my life,” James told the Baptist Message. “My daughter was lost and is now alive in Christ.” SEEDS, SON & HARVEST A number of divine appointments led up to the Feb. 10, 2019, celebration for the James family, with the first Gospel seeds planted in early 2016. James had retired from the bodyguard profession in 1995, ending his behind-the-scenes with the rich and famous, to take a position as director of security and loss prevention for a national construction company in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also began breeding Great Danes as a side venture. Hadley had become a child of God as a sophomore in high school, but he had drifted away from the Lord in the … [Read more...]

BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Key protections for children, born and unborn, highlighted the 2019 Louisiana Legislative Session, but other moral issues and social concerns were in the spotlight, too, and most were decided favorably with regard to the consensus views of Louisiana Baptists regarding these matters. LIFE In 2018, Louisiana Baptists overwhelming approved a resolution declaring their “unwavering commitment to rescue and protect life from the womb through eternity,” and pro-life legislation approved in 2019 included multiple bills championed by Louisiana Baptist lawmakers. Rep. Katrina Jackson (D-Morehouse, Ouachita), and Sen. Beth Mizell  (R-St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, Florida), a member of the First Baptist Church in Franklinton, sponsored a state amendment in their respective chambers. Approved by two-thirds votes in the House and Senate, the Love Life Amendment (H.B. 425) offers to add a simple statement to the Louisiana Constitution, declaring, “To protect human life, nothing in this constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.” This measure protects against a rogue state judge ruling that an abortion right exists that is not explicitly … [Read more...]

By Message Staff LARTO (LBM) -- Larto Baptist Church has opened its front lawn as a sanctu-ary for residents wanting to protect their vehicles and personal belongings from rising floodwaters in the community. Since early May, water levels have risen four feet in the community located 24 miles south of Jonesville. Nearly 40 cars are parked on the church lawn which rises seven feet higher than the surrounding area, Pastor Kenny Smith told the Baptist Message. “Our church yard looks like a used car lot,” Smith said. “We are showing our support for our neighbors, many who have water near their homes and with the only way to get out by boat. Any-one who needs help, we do it because Christ commands it of us.” Smith said only four people attended worship services Sunday, May 19, because most of the residents were unable to travel to the campus. According to the Annual Church Profile database, Larto Baptist averages 35 worshipers for Sunday morning service. All activities likely will be cancelled for the coming weeks, Smith said. Meanwhile, Smith asked Louisiana Baptists to pray for his congregation and community. “Pray that people that are behind the backwater are able to get supplies,” Smith said, “and for their … [Read more...]

By Message Staff BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Chuck Kelley, in his final New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary report to messengers, thanked Southern Baptists for their investment in the institution he served during his 23-year tenure as president. He also voiced gratitude for Southern Baptists’ support through the Cooperative Program, the primary funding channel for SBC cooperative missions and ministries, noting that $172,751,343 has been given to the seminary via this funding mainstay during his time there. “We want to thank you for that and say, ‘Please keep on sacrificing, keep on sending, keep on supporting the preparation of your next generation of ministers,’” Kelley said. “All of us want to see our students graduate without student debt and you can make that possible.” Kelley said the seminary has seen a small increase in enrollment this year, and that $2 million has been given to the seminary’s student scholarship endowment since January. He referenced two scholarship programs that have helped students further the Gospel: the Fred Luter Scholarship has provided, since 2011, more than $1 million in scholarships to African-American students in Atlanta and New Orleans; and, the Caskey Center has awarded annual … [Read more...]